New sponsors for Boston Pops July 4 celebration; Etheridge, Grammer to headline

Tuesday

Mar 7, 2017 at 11:00 AMMar 7, 2017 at 4:46 PM

Dana Barbuto The Patriot Ledger

The iconic Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular will continue without a hitch after months of uncertainty about the fate of the popular Independence Day bash. Boston investment firm Eaton Vance takes the baton, signing on as a three-year sponsor, the Pops announced today.

Folk-rock singer Melissa Etheridge and pop sensation and Berklee College of Music alum Andy Grammer will join conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops for the traditional Fourth of July concert and fireworks spectacular on the Charles River Esplanade.

The new partnership “shows what can be achieved when two great Boston institutions join forces.” Lockhart said in statement.

The concert’s future was in a sort-of limbo after David Mugar, the longtime executive producer of the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, retired after last year’s show. Mugar, a businessman and philanthropist, had produced the annual show for 43 years. Mugar ended up paying for the 2016 event himself when other sponsors couldn’t be found.

The Pops also announced today a media partnership with Bloomberg LP, the New York finance company and media outlet, founded by Medford native Michael Bloomberg.

Corporations subsidize the annual performance so the event remains free to the public.

“In giving back to our community, we enrich the lives of friends and colleagues in Boston, across America and around the world,” said Thomas E. Faust, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Eaton Vance, in a statement.

Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh expressed their gratitude. “We are so excited that with these new partnerships, this tradition will continue to make patriotic memories for young and old,” Baker said in a statement.

Calling the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular “special” and “cherished,” Walsh said the event fosters, “a spirit of community amongst people who share a love for our country.

This will be Lockhart’s 23nd year as conductor of both the Pops and the annual Fourth of July concert.

“These new sponsorships will undoubtedly play a major role as the Boston Pops launches a new and glorious chapter in the event’s storied history,” Lockhart said in a statement.

Dana Barbuto may be reached at dbarbuto@ledger.com or follow her on Twitter @dbarbuto_Ledger.